Shock absorbing landing device for paratoopers



SHOCK ABSORBING LANDING DEVICE FOR PRATROOPERS Filed Oct. 25, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T. B. HALL SHOCK ABSORBING LANDING DEVICE F'OR PARATRQOPERS Aug. 22, 195o Filed Oct. 25, 1948 Patented Aug. 22, 1950 orties lstrooitmisoii1eme LA NDING DEVICE Fon rARA'rRooPERs 4 s Teller 1E. IalYl,v Los Calif. Application october 25, 194s; Serin Nb. '56,452

ze emilia This inventionrelates to shock-absorbing de# vices to be Worn by parachutists, and more particularly to none'rebounding, collapsible, landing devices to, be Worn' on the shoes 'of troops jump; ing en masse from aircraft; i

The generalobject 'of this yinventio'nis to pro-'- vide landing devices for paratroopers which are free fromV springs or other. resilient `elements which would cause rebound, and which are auto-- maticall'y detached from. their shoes;A v

The few attempts that have A been made to provide landing devices forparachutists have, for the mostpart, incorporated springs o r other resilient structures that have'been ineffective because therebound imparted bysueh resilient ele-v ments has created `upsetting effects and. resulted in injuries tothe user. Moreover,l in employing safe landingY devicesfor paratroopers, itis necessary` that the troops Walk on their landing devices to the escape hatch et the respective vaircraft y so that they may jump rapid sequence in order toland nas. consolidated agroupas possible. Where springs are employed Walking is awkward and inl addition, the4 presence of springs or other lresilient.devices prornlotesthe turning of ankles Aboth as the troopsf-walkaleng the floor of the aircraft and as they land upon the ground. As a consedience strnctuifesot this type tend to increase injuries rather than to decrease thern.`

'Iherefore, it yisan important 4object of my invention `to eliminate all springs and similar resilient structures from landing devices forgpar-V acuusts. A further object is to provideisnockabsorbingdevices for attachment to thefeejt on `which paratr'ocpers may runalong the Vaircrjait floor as theybail uthtlieV devices under these eoaciaons-supporung tte Weight of the paratrooperjsnd their equipment. l

AIt is another object loflthis invention rto provide shock al'fjsorbers ofthe indicated type `whicl'irvvill be automatically, detached from the .feet `upon strikingthe ground, sfo that the wearer is ready instantly to go into action.

It a still lfurtherl object to provide shockabsorbing landing devices of theV mentionedtype vghich constitute, in` effect, miniature landing elds for the feet and Which will crush" Without siibstantial rebound, While ,landing and Will, at the' saine time citer sufficient resistance to cushiQnthe landing shocksproperly. It is also an object' toy prvide such Ydex'zices which will at the saine time shape. themselves to Small ,i rocks and ti1 `e like.`present upon the surface of the ground vvhre the landing takes'plae', and'Y Will in addi- (lci. afs- 7.5)

tion` span gopher holes and other small depres; sions whereby to eliminate most tendencies to turn or sprainA ankles or otherwise' injure the parachutists when landing.

An additional object is to provide a construe-l tion forparachutists which will be' so inexpensive to manufacturethat it can be economically dis# carded after a single use, andi according to this invention, the devices are so permanentlvde: formed as they collapse upon landing that they are in effect rendered unsuitable for further jumping. AAn incidental object is to produce such an inexpensive device Whose construction `may be sostrearnlinedthat it will fit Athe parachutists shoes sufcientlyclosely that the shroud cords and ,similar portions of the parachute being used vvill not become fouled in the landing devices or between such landing devices and the shoes;

Anotheriimportant object of this invention s -to construct ascrushaole, permanently deformable landingk device so that when it strikes the ground under the Weight of the parachutst and his equipment, it Will collapse in such a manner as not to ,throw .the Wearers foot seriously out of its normalrelation to the respective leg and ankle, the bottrn of the structure assuming the general contour of the ground, andthe sides of the device crushing correspondingly so Aas to maintain substantially the initial relationship of the -shoe and the top of the structure, whereby to 1avoid ankle sprains Iand incidental injuries. More specically, it is an object of the invention t, produce,a crushable and permanently de-, for'rnable,` stili bois-like unit, preferably formed from paperproducts, which will support a Weight in the order of`400 pounds to 600 pounds .or more; s .that alparatrooper withhis equipmentmay along the floor of an aircraft without collapse idri'gEthe structure, the,devicefhoweven being susceptible tobeing .crushed as the paratrooper 'strikes theground by reason of the impact which always i's in excess-of about 600 pounds for each foot. i L- Another object of importance is to construct a box-like unit of the indicated nature .which conines air, the structure providing for retarded release 'of theA air so that the air is temporarily trappedunder. pressure to provide a cushioning eect supplementing the cushioning eectof the mechanical parts of the device and therebyfurthe; rtardingtiie failing speed and taking up the incident shock as the wearer strikes the ground,- aidvvhereby any dangerous reboundis avoided. .i Other objectsandthe various structural featui-es of the i'ni'fer'itiori,` will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following specication and the accompanying drawings wherein certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is principally a side elevation of one form in which my invention has been embodied.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the section line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross Section similar to that of Fig. 2 but indicating collapsing of the parts and aut0 matic release of means employed for attaching the device to a shoe;

Fig. 4 is an elevational detail indicating a modied form of means for automatically releasing the shoe-attaching means;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken approximately from the section line 5 5 of Fig. 2 to indicate appropriate internal construction, this figure also indicating a modification in the form oi' bracing means at the heel of the device which serve also as ankle protection;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational View corresponding iwith that of Fig. 1 andillustrating a modificaion;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional detail taken on the section line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation indicated by the line 8--8 of Fig. '7 and further showing the construction of the automatic releasing means of this form; and y Fig. `9 is a perspective view of the latch member of Figs. 1 to 3.

Each of the forms of the drawings illustrate a construction having proper crushing resistance in accordance with this invention. In the forms 'of Figs. l to 3 and 5, a body member I8 is shown which comprises a bottom plate I2 and a top plate I4. The top plate I I of both forms comprises a full-length cardboard lower member I5 and a superimposed partial length upper cardboard member I5 which receives `the sole of a shoe S, the heel thereof resting upon the rear portion of the member I5 approximately as indicated in Fig. 1. The bottom plate I2 may be of a similar cardboard material o f appropriate strength, as hereinafter more fully disclosed. Between the bottom plate I2 and the top plate I4 there are disposed two cardboard, box-like weight supporting members I8 and V20, the lower boxlike member I8 having its open side directed upwardly and telescoped within the upper box-like member 28. The lower inner box-like member I8 comprises side walls 22, a bottom wall 23. and end walls 25. V'Ihe upper, outer box-like member 2l) comprises side walls 25, end walls 26 and a top wall 28. The corners at the joints between the various walls of the box-like member I8 and the box-like 4member 28 may be formed in any conventional or preferred manner employed in making cardboard boxes. For the purpose of properly sealing the edges of the box structure formed by the telescoping members I8 and 20, a sheet 38 of relatively thin rubber is run around the sides and ends of the assembled unit and has its upper and lower edges cemented to adjacent portions of the bottom wall 23 of the box-like member I8 and the top wall 28 of the box-like member 28. This sheet thereby seals the joint at the lower edges of the side and end walls 25 and 26 adjacent the edges of the bottom wall 23 of the member I8. At the same time this sheet also seals the vertical edges of the member 20 where the side and end walls meet, and in addition seals any horizontal joints between these walls and the top Wall 28. Obviously, such a sheet may be replaced by appropriate strips over some of the joints. In order that the side and end walls may assuredly bulge outward from the position of Fig. 2 to a position such as illustrated in Fig. 3, the outer surfaces of the various side and end walls 22, 24, 25 and 26 are kerfed as indicated at 32, or similarly tooled along their horizontal median lines. Since the rubber sheet 38 is intended also to offer some resistance to crushing, it is desired that the sheet 38 be not cemented to portions of the mentioned side and end walls immediately adjacent the vertical edges of the box structure so that the rubber sheet 3U may stretch without rupture.

In order to provide additional crushing resistance Vwithin the box assemblage provided by the twobox-like members I8 and 28, additional cardboard elements are disposed in generally vertical positions within the device. In the form shown, these'elements are produced from an elongated strip 315 of cardboard, this strip being folded in sort of a zig-zag fashion providing generally vertical resistance legs 35 connected by horizontally disposed knees 35a which may be cemented to the respective top and bottom walls 23 and 28. While it is preferred that the plate I2 and the plate members I5 and I8 and the side walls of the box-like members I8 and 20 be formed of a common laminated type of cardboard, the strip 34 may, if desired, be formed of any conventional corrugated cardboard structure, the corrugations extending vertically. This will depend largely upon the amount of crushing resistance required and the nature of the side and end Walls 22, 24, 25 and 26. The bottom plate I2 and the members I5 andl I5 of the top plate I4 may be either cemented to the top and bottomv walls 23 and 28 of the box-like members I8 and 20, or may be stapled thereto as indicated at 36, or may be both cemented and stapled. Inasmuch as it is necessary to provide for escapeof air as the structure collapses and inasmuch as it is desired also to retard such escape of air, a suitable port 38, which acts as a vent, Vis provided, this port, in the form shown, extending through the plate members I5 and I6 and the top wall 28 beneath the sole of the shoe S, and, if desired, under the instep portion thereof. Obviously, the port may be provided with a valve control if necessary or desirable. By employing such a venting means of proper capacity, objectional bursting of the structure with too sudden collapsing thereof is avoided. .Y

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5, it is very desirableY that the assembled box construction provided by the telescoped box-like members I8 and 2@ have its base portion somewhat shorter than the shoe S, in orider that the wearer may walk more or less readily while wearing the structure. However, such shortness would cause the heel portionv of the shoe or the toe portion or both such portions to overhang the box-like assemblage and oier hazard Vfrom entanglement with the shroudcords of the parachute by which the wearer descends. To overcome this objection, and at the same time provide for walking con- Venience, the toe and heel portions of the top plate I4 are arranged to overhang the box-like structure as illustrated and the overlying regions are guarded by a foward housing Ml as seen in Fig. l and a rearward housing 42. These housings Ll and I2 may be formed from a very heavy paper .cemented in place on the'sides of the boxlike member 28 and over the rubber sheet 30, the

lower port-ions being broughtinto Lthe. shape `indicated and thef` lower edges` beingsecured,V for eX- ample, between the bottom plate l2 andthe adjacent portions-ofthe assembledbox structure, the :upper edge fportions `,being secured fbetween theupper-and.- lowervmembers i5 and I6 of the template -l-. The rearward housing 4 2 is similarlyarranged and attached. While these housingsf-llrand 452 are illustrated `asextending only aashort distancerbeyond the ends of the assembled .box,structure, the heavy paper employed might be i-continued t completely enclose the sides thereof. Againpthe housings it and G2 of Fig..11might;be.constructed of thin or corrugated cardboard which might constitute the bottom plate l2; and be provided; with extensions dilettanti 42-a,1forming housing corresponding with housings,` 4S and d2. ,.Heife, the housing extension lila may have its upper end 43 brought up over the edge portions of the lower member I5 to abut correspondingly Yretracted portions of the upper member It. In addition, the upper portion of thefrearward-extension Mais desirably carried upward vabove the rear portion of the top plate i!! to form an ankle brace dd which rises to `a suitableheight for such a purpose and includes wings Mwwhich extend forward an appropriate distance'as indicated.

In .order for the structure of this invention to possess maximum usefulness, it is important that it be provided with means for attachment to the shoe-S -fwhich will automatically disengage the shoe when the body member lil is crushed as a consequence of landing upon the ground. This means of attachment comprises, in the forms shown, a forward elastic band 55 adapted to pass over the instep of the shoe, and a rearward elastic band El adapted to pass over the upper heel portion of theshoe. In addition, it may be desirable to employ a forward elastic band A52 passing over a toe portion of the shoe and, for so-me'purpose's, it might be further desirable to use a foremost strap 53 whose lower end is secured, as by cementing, to the foremost portion of the forward housing e!) or its counterpart extension Mia, the strap being adapted to fold over the toe extremity of the shoe and be brought down into the dotted-line portion indicated in Fig. 1 where it is retained by the transversely arranged band 52 when Aplaced in operative position.

E'achef the elastic band 5i? and 5i is bound atv oneend to the body member Ill as by means of astaple. 54 (Fig. 2) which retains both bands. The band amay have one end similarly attached. or, as indicated at 52a (Fig. l), such end may becemented to the body member i. Each of thebands 5), 5| and 52 is provided with .apertures, at its free end, these apertures being lined with eyelets 55 which lare adapted to receive selectively` trigger iingers 56 respectivelycarried bya plurality of latch arms 58 secured to one side ofthe .body member El). `In the form shown, each latch arm 5S has its lower end attachedto the side of the body member iii as by. a staple 59 so that thearm 53 travels with the upper. portion of .the respective side walls and moves its trigger lingers E6 .into engaging position, as shown Fig. 3, when the body member la col-A lapses. rlhus, upon crushing of the body member EE, the respective trigger fingers `5s areautomatically moved to positions to release the respective eyelets 55 of the bands 5b, 5i and 52. Theupper end of each latch arm 53 is positioned by 1a.. hinge Giiwhich pivotally receives a trans-E verse pintle f5 I lintegrally connecting each` trig-V seliingerfwith its latch arm 58. Eachhinge 60;.-ncludesa lhinge-leaf .52 which is bound into position as -by rivets 63 between the top plate 14 and the top wall, 28,` of the box-like member 20. If` desired, `the two, latch arms 58 shown in Fig. 1 'may be replaced-by-aI single latch arm 58a as shown in.A Fig. 4, both of the pintles BI being secured to the upper end of the single latch arm 58a.

The most-.suitable material found so far for the-side, top, end and bottom walls of the describedbox structure is solid paper board, often calledV fiber board to distinguish it from the common corrugated -paper board. This paper beardl can bei procured in different thicknesses and 4different strengths. I have found that paper board -of one-eighth inch thickness with a burstingstrength of 275 lbs. to 450 lbs. is quite suitable forthe box assembly and the top plates i4, whereas corrugated paper board seems more suitable for thestreamlining members 4), 42, Maand 42a of the device and for the bottom plates I2'. It is to Ybe understood that appropriate changes of material of adequate strength and resistance can be made without affecting the scope of the invention.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. `6, 'T and 8, another type of crushable body member is shown. Here, the body member, which is generally designated at il), is in the form of a continuous block of crushable material ll. This material 1| may be any adequately porous or cellular friable material which will break down when the paratrooper strikes the ground. indicated, such a, material would have a multiplicity of pores or cells 12. In a preferred structure, the material il would be a cellular baked rubber body wherein each cell 72 is distinct and illed with any appropriate gas such as nitrogen or air, the term air being intended to include any gas. However, if the body of the material offers surlicient crushing resistance, the cells l2 may in general be joined and thereby provide a I more4 or less porous body. The underside of the block of cru'shable material Ti preferably has secured thereto a bottom' plate 'is corresponding generally with the bottom plate i2 of the other forms of the invention, and this bottom plate may be in the form of cardboard or the like as employed for such other forms. The block or crushable material 'ii is preferably rounded off at the rear to a small degree, and especially is rounded oi at the forward portion as indicated at 'M for the purpose of facilitating walking. The bottomplatel is correspondingly rounded and extends upward to the underside oi the lower member i a top plate 'IE which includes an upper member Ti, the members 'l5 and l1 corresponding in general with the members i5 and i6 .of theother forms. The lower member 'i5 is attached to the upper face of the block of. crushablematerial 'ii by cementing, in the sameway that the bottom plate 'i3 is attached, and the upper member 1l ,is similarly attached to the lower member l5. These members also may be formed of cardboard, but any other material suitable for the purpose may be used. In this form, an .automatically releasable elastic band 58 .over the instep is employed as in the other forms, one endof the band being secured to the body member lil in any appropriate manner, and the other end of the band being provided with a plurality .of holes with neyelets 55 for the purpose Offreceiving .atrigger finger 56a corresponding 7. generally with the trigger fingers 55. However, since the block of cru'shable material 1i of this form crushes without substantial lateral expansion, a latch arm 80 of diierent type is employed so that-it may be swung upon striking the ground as thermaterial 'H crushes. For this purpose the lower extremity of the latch arm 85 is curved at 85a in such a manner as to cause such lower end to swing outward upon striking the ground and swing the trigger finger 55a inward suiciently to release the latter from its eyelet 55. Thus, upon release, the elasticity in the band 50 causes it to disengage the shoes. To provide for the swinging of the latch arm 85 and trigger nger 56a, a piano-type hinge 82 may be provided between the latch arm S and a hinge leaf 84, any appropriate pintle 85 being employed to connect the parts. The hinge leaf 34 may be secured to the top plate l of the crushable structure by rivets 86. Figures 6, 7 and 8 also illustrate the employment of a heel strap 88, both ends of which are permanently attached to top plate l5. Y Such an arrangement is very satisfactory for most uses and eliminates the necessity for'providing a second latch arm 85 and trigger finger 55a. 'However, if desired, the single trigger nger 55u may receive adjacent ends of both the Velastic band 5i) and the heel strap 88. Also, as indicated, this form of the device may be provided with both the forward elastic band 52 and the foremost strap 53 illustrated in Figs. l and 5.

Operation In using the landing devices or' this invention, a paratrooper or other, parachutist carries a pair of :the structures to the aircraft with his pack. While en route to the location where he is to bail out, he attaches the devices to his shoes. This is done bythe simple expedient of placing each foot on the respective structure in the position indicated in the drawings, and then passing the various bands 55, 5i, 52 and 53 into their operative positions illustrated. Or, in the case of the construction of Fig. 6, the heel is first slipped into the heelstrap 33, and the bands 5B, 52 and .53 then operatively positioned.

When orders are given to leave the aircraft, the paratrooper runs rearward in much the same way that he would run if the landing devices were not attached. As a consequence he is not slowed down in leaving the ship, and as a further consequence all of the men. who are bailing out at a given time get out relatively close to one another so that they may quickly assemble for the operation planned as soon as they land. When he reaches the ground, he lands in the usual way, but with much less shock and with much more safety than has been possible heretofore.

`These eects are the combined result of the gradual breaking down of the box structure as it crushes, the retarded venting of the air through the port` 38,` stretching of the rubber sheet at the corners to accommodate itself to the flexurcs at the various points, and a certain amount of unevenness of crushing which tends to maintain the relationship of the paratroopers feet with respect to his legs and ankles even though the ground contour be substantially different from the normal position of the feet as the paratrooper lands. As a consequence of these conditions, there is much less tendency to turn the wearers ankles as he lands, because his feet assumethe contour of the ground somewhat gradually. j Againyif one Vof the devices strikes a small rock', the bottom plate l2 (or 13) yields considerably to'accommodate the rock.V Also, the de-` of 1000 pounds willbe very effectively cushioned Vby the slowing up of the collapsing orcrushing action. This is true, not only where the boxlike structure of Figs. 1 to 5 isV employed, but also where the crushable block of Figs. 6 to 8 is employed.

When the parachutist strikes the ground and the box structure of the forms of Figs. 1 to 5 collapses sufciently, the latch arms 58 swing to such an angle as to release the trigger lingers 56 from the eyelets 55 of the various elastic bands 5), 5l and 52, thereby automatically releasing the wearers feet so that he may promptly move forward. Meanwhile, the contour of the forward and rearward housings 45 and 42 will have prevented fouling of the shroud cords of the parachute. In a similar manner, the elastic bands 56 and 52 of the form of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 will have been released as the thickness of the blocks of crushable material H becomes suiciently reduced for the curved portions a, of the lower ends of the latch arms Sil to strike the ground and swing the latch arms 85 so that they will effect release of the trigger iingers 5ta. With this form, the crushing resistance of the material 'Il itself has a retarding eiect and the air cells 'l2 produce a cushioning effect similar to that accomplished by the outward bulging of the side walls of the forms of Figs. l to 5 and the retarded venting of the contained air through the port 3S.

The presence of the kerfs 52 in the side walls of the two box-like members l5 and 25 insures the bulging koutward and airather uniform cushioning action. Atrthe same time, the various rubber-covered joints, which automatically provide as many hinge structures, permit that portionV of the landing device to yield most which rst strikes the ground, the other portions then successively yielding so that the wearers foot gradually assumes the ground contour without spraining or undue rtwisting of the ankles. If desired, the bottom of the box structure may be built so as to be more readily crushable than the top and thereby be capable of conforming more readily with small rocks and the like which may be struck upon landing.

Since the structures of this invention have their usefulness destroyed when the wearer lands upon the ground, and since his feet are automatically released upon landing, the devices are allowed to remain where discarded.

, Since various modifications of the generic invention hereinV disclosed will become apparent to those skilled in this art, it is intended to protect all forms that fall within the scope of the patent claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A landing device for aerial use, comprising in combination: a body member having upper and lower faces; Yground-engaging means carried by said lower face article-receiving means eairiedpy said cpperlfaceyjrjushabieside-fennirg means for Maintaining" Said uppelrffad'lofwer faces? `in spaced" relation' and rleas'able article- `engaging means carried by said `device to erigage such 'articleandrelea'sably retain the 'device upon sucharticle. l i Y y i 2. A combinaton'as" in claix'iiii inclddiiig' catch means carried by said bdyneibr for releasably' engaging" said' article-engaging means, said catch means being actuable upon collapse of said body member' to release 'said' article-engaging means.

3. A combination as in claim 1 wherein said side-forming means is formed of materials no1'- mally offering resistance to weight resting thereon and collapsible under the shock of the Weigh on landing.

4. A single-use landing device for parachutists comprising in combination: a deformable body member of substantial vertical thickness to offer substantial protective resistance to landing shock by collapse thereof and without substantial rebound; an under surface provided by said body member for engagement with the ground upon landing; an upper surface provided by said member for receiving the sole of a shoe worn by a parachutist; releasing means for releasably engaging said shoe to hold the latter upon said body member; and retaining means for releasably connecting said releasing means with said body member and actuable u-pon striking of the ground by said body member to release said releasable means from said shoe.

5. A combination asin claim 4 including means for overlying spaces between said body member and said shoe to exclude portions of a parachute and avoid entanglement therewith.

6. A combination as in claim 4 wherein said retaining means includes latch means hinged upon said body member and adapted for engagement with said releasing means, said retaining means being automatically swingable upon said striking of the ground to move said latch means from engagement with said releasing means.

7. A single-use landing device for a parachutist comprising in combination: a crushable air-containing body member of substantial vertical thickness to offer protective resistance to landing shock, said device having sufficient resistance to crushing to support the parachutists weight normally but crushable upon landing, said device having top and bottom portions, the bottom portion being adapted to engage the ground upon landing, and the top portion being adapted to receive the sole of the parachutists shoe; and releasable means adapted for engagement with said body member to engage over upper portions of said shoe and hold the device upon the shoe and including means for attachment to said body member.

8. A combination as in claim 7, including automatically actuable retainer means for connecting said releasable means to said body member and automatically operable upon striking the ground to release said releasable means.

9. A combination as in claim '7 wherein said crushable body member includes walls retaining air in compressible condition and means retarding release of said air under compression of said landing shock.

10. A combination as in claim '7 including vent means for said body member to retard escape of air from said body member and increase said protective resistance.

11. A combination as in claim 7 wherein said A. is; A iarfdile ,dei/ice'` fcrfsarggjhnst's ing iii combination: a deformable, air-containing body member provided with lateral, collapsible wall members, said body member providing an upper wall to receive the heel and sole of a parachutists shoe and a lower wall to strike the ground upon landing, said lateral walls being formed of crushable material, said lateral walls providing joints which yield during crushing, and means reinforcing said joints.

14. A landing device as in claim 13 wherein said crushable material forming said walls is laminated.

15. A landing device as in claim 13 wherein said reinforcing means include a layer of rubber-like material overlying said joints to be stretched upon bending and aiord added resistance to deformation.

16. A landing device for parachutists comprising in combination: a crushable air-containing body member having collapsible lateral walls adapted to bulge under landing shock, said member also having a top wall adapted for reception of the sole of a parachutists shoe and a bottom wall adapted to strike the ground; vent means for controlling the escape of air; and means for detachably connecting said body member to said shoe.

17. A combination as in claim 16 wherein said connecting means includes means for automatically releasing such connecting means from said shoe when the device strikes the ground in landing.

18. A combination as in claim 16 wherein said lateral walls are resistant to the weight of the parachutist for walking but yieldable upon landing impact of the parachutist.

19. A combination as in claim 16 wherein adjacent portions of said walls at joints and places of bulge are connected and sealed by thin rubber-like material capable of stretching during bulging and supplying added resistance to deformation of the device.

20. A combination as in claim 16 wherein said bottom wall is composed o material which will yield to acommodate stones and the like upon ground struck by the device.

21. A combination as in claim 13 including upstanding crushable wall means within said body member walls to supply added resistance to deformation on landing.

22. A combination as in claim 7 wherein said body member comprises a block of permanently crushable material having a multiplicity of air cells.

23. A shock absorbing landing device in the form of a box-like structure provided with means attachable to the shoes of a paratrooper, said structure being formed from stii, yieldable material having the capacity of carrying the full weight of the paratrooper but weak enough to collapse under the weight of the paratrooper upon striking the ground following a jump from aircraft whereby to cushion said paratroopers landing.

24. A device as in claim 23 wherein said struc- 11 ture includes Wall means enclosing an air chamber, said structure having a restricted opening from said chamber to retard escape of air and further cushion the fall of the paratrooper.

25. A device as in claim 23 including means attached to said structure for automatically disengaging said means attachable to said shoes upon striking the ground.

26. A shock absorbing device made of crushable material having predetermined crushig resistance and forming walls enclosing an air chamber and having restricted vent means to control the escape of air whereby, When the device is weighted and drops from an appreciable height, the force of the fall causes said Walls' to crush gradually under the Weight and compress the air in said chamber, whereby air escapes at a retarded rate through said vent means and absorbs the landing shock.

TELLER B. HALL.

No references cited.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,519,458 August 22, 1950 y TELLER B. HALL It is hereby oertied that error-appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 5, line 68, for the Word engaging read dt'sengagin'g; column 9, line 15, before Weight insert a; line 17, for Weigh read weight; column 11, line 10, for crushig read crushing; and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the oase in the Patent YQice. Y Y Y, Y ,Y

Signed and sealed this 21st day of November, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant 'ommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

Certicate of Correction Patent No. 2,519,458 August 22, 1950 TELLER B. HALL It is hereby certified that error-appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 5, line 68, for the Word engaging read disenggin'g; column 9, line 15, before Weight insert a; iine 17, for Weig read weight; colurnn 11, line 10, for "crushg read crushing;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oce.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of November, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

